Chronicles of Forgotten Extra-Chapter 211: Something Awakens?

Elsewhere.

Not in the forest.

Not yet.

It began with the dull sound of bone crushing.

A sound too fragile for the size of the creature that made it.

The dungeon boss—a behemoth with plated hide and molten veins—roared with a mixture of pain and disbelief.

Its mouth, still flickering with cursed flame, snapped shut a moment too late.

A fist struck its chest.

No flash. No explosion. No dramatic cry.

Just a single, fluid punch—so fast it didn’t disturb the air.

And then the monster’s core shattered.

Quietly.

As if even its death had been muted by fear.

The boss stumbled back three paces.

A strange silence followed.

Then its body gave out.

It hit the stone floor with a loud thud.

Its corpse twitched once.

Then crumbled into ash.

And in the centre of the collapse, a youth stood.

Unmoved. Unimpressed.

She was tall, lean and impossibly still.

A single black horn curled from the left side of her head.

It looked smooth and polished like obsidian.

Her flowing white hair clung to her forehead in damp strands.

Her red eyes held no emotions whatsoever.

But not a single drop of sweat was present on her skin.

A cold expression was present on her delicate features.

She didn’t look tired.

She didn’t look satisfied.

She just looked down.

Down at what remained of the monster.

Down at what she’d been sent to destroy.

"...Pathetic," she said.

Her voice was low and smooth.

A voice which sounded melodious.

This dungeon had been classified as high difficulty.

Rare elemental variant boss.

And yet.

It barely scratched her.

She should have felt pleased.

This was a victory.

A clear objective.

Another mark of supremacy for her clan.

For her... descendant of the dragon queen herself.

And yet.

She didn’t feel anything.

Why does it always end like this?

Another dungeon. Another fight. Another body turned to dust.

They said this one was special. Said it would challenge me.

It didn’t.

Not even for a second.

Her gaze shifted—drawn, not by interest, but inevitability.

She saw something glowing near the far wall.

A ripple.

It wasn’t part of the dungeon.

It wasn’t part of anything living.

It hovered in the corner like a secret that had waited too long to be heard. Tempting her.

A portal.

She approached it without hesitation.

Not because she was curious. Not because she was brave.

But because something inside her already knew she was supposed to.

An ability... the one she had recently awakened stirred as she looked at the portal.

Something inside it was calling her.

A system prompt appeared mid-air.

[??? Hidden Passage Detected]

[Path of Qualification: Entry Opened]

[Proceed?]

She didn’t blink.

She simply reached forward.

And the portal swallowed her.

She fell.

Not through space—through meaning.

Down, down into something that rejected names.

Then—she landed.

Her boots touched earth.

The air here did not hum.

Then came the next prompt.

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[Intruder Detected.]

[Dungeon: Proof of Qualification]

[Your Rank Has Been Balanced: Intermediate Apprentice]

[Welcome to the Path of Qualification.]

She tilted her head.

No irritation. No surprise.

Just a mild acknowledgement.

But his left hand twitched. Just once.

She raised her palm.

No aura flared. No pressure radiated.

Her power was sealed.

The dungeon had taken it.

Not like a thief—but like a law.

It had declared her equal.

She took a deep breath.

Then smiled.

Barely visible.

"A test, then."

Her red eyes glowed softly beneath her lashes.

"Let’s see how far I can fall... before I remind this dungeon who I am."

And then she walked forward.

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Just the silence of someone who knew exactly what she was walking into—and didn’t care.

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Unbeknownst to all who had stepped into the trap called ’Path of Qualification’, something began to stir.

Not in the outer forests.

Not in the sky.

But far beneath.

At the dungeon’s root.

In the hollow heart of that cursed realm—a seal trembled.

It had been written in a language that predated runes. Etched not on stone, but on existence itself.

It was not meant to be broken.

It was meant to be forgotten.

But the moment the third intruder crossed the veil—the moment fate aligned with arrogance, desperation, and envy— it cracked.

Then a heartbeat.

And then—

"Finally."

The word echoed through the void.

Not loud. But absolute.

The dungeon’s atmosphere warped.

"I can finally be free from this prison."

Above, the dungeon trembled imperceptibly.

The trees leaned in slightly, as if listening.

The fog thinned for a breath... then thickened with intent.

A new presence now existed within it.

One that had no form. No shape. No name that the system could display.

Now awakened.

And watching.

The voice was soft now. Almost amused.

"I’ve waited through centuries of failure."

"This time... I will finally be free."

And above, completely unaware, three paths began to intertwine.

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Alden’s body suddenly tensed up.

He felt something ominous for a moment.

Huh?

What was that?

I definitely felt something.

His whole body was bloodied.

It wasn’t his own blood. If it was the blood of a monster he had just defeated.

Three of those ugly trunk-faced monsters.

He ignored the bodies surrounding him, trying to sense mana again.

But it was too quiet.

Quieter than it was supposed to be.

Something is definitely wrong with this dungeon.

This is not the same type which Seles had entered in the novel.

Is this because I entered the dungeon too prematurely?

Anyway, I need to complete it soon.

I can’t waste my time anymore.

He turned and collected the cores from all three monster bodies.

He threw them in his storage ring without even looking at them.

His gaze shifted towards the centre.

He pulled out a healing potion and a mana recovery potion, gulping them down without a moment’s wait.

The cold liquid left a refreshing sensation as small injuries on his body healed and his mana started recovering.

Just then the ground trembled and something shifted.

A new system notification appeared in front of him.

Only one word came to Alden’s mind as he looked at the screen.

Fucking hell.

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Author’s Note:

Alright, this might be a little reckless... but let’s make it fun.

If Amyra or Nyx reaches 1 million in character fandom by the end of this month,

I’ll write a special date Chapter with Alden just for the winner.